Handheld electronic device with reduced keyboard and associated method of providing quick text entry in a message

ABSTRACT

An improved handheld electronic device having a reduced keyboard provides facilitated language entry by making available to a user certain words that a user may reasonably be expected to enter. In some situations, certain words can be stored, for example, in a temporary dictionary for use in particular situations. For instance, the names of the recipients of an electronic message might be stored in a temporary dictionary for rapid retrieval when entering a salutation in the message. As another example, a number of the words in an existing electronic message may be stored in a temporary dictionary and made available to a user when replying to or forwarding the message since the existing message might include words that the user might reasonably be expected to type in the reply message or the forwarded message.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to handheld electronic devices and, moreparticularly, to a handheld electronic device that has a reducedkeyboard and that facilitates the entry of text in a message.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples ofsuch handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal dataassistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellulartelephones and the like. Many handheld electronic devices also feature awireless or other communication capability, although other handheldelectronic devices are stand-alone devices that are functional withoutcommunication with other devices. Such handheld electronic devices aregenerally intended to be portable, and thus are of a relatively compactconfiguration in which keys and other structures often perform multiplefunctions under certain circumstances or may otherwise have multipleaspects or features assigned thereto. With advances in technology,handheld electronic devices are built to have progressively smaller formfactors yet have progressively greater numbers of applications andfeatures resident thereon. As a practical matter, the keys of a keypadcan only be reduced to a certain small size before the keys becomerelatively unusable.

In language entry applications, such as in a messaging or e-mailapplication, a keypad must be capable of generating substantially all ofthe elements desirable or necessary to form the relevant language. Forexample, in a language that employs Roman letters, a keypad must becapable of generating substantially all twenty-six of the Roman letters.In order to provide such functionality with relatively few keys, somekeypads have included multiple linguistic elements per key, such asproviding a plurality of Roman letters on each of at least some of thekeys when the keypad is used to generate a language that employs Romanletters.

In order to make use of the multiple linguistic elements on any givenkey, numerous keystroke interpretation systems have been provided. Forinstance, a “multi-tap system” allows a user to substantiallyunambiguously specify a particular linguistic element, for example, on akey by pressing the same key a number of times equal to the position ofthe desired linguistic element on the key. Anther keystrokeinterpretation system includes key chording in which keys are pressed invarious combinations to achieve particular results. Still anotherkeystroke interpretation system might include a disambiguation routinewhich seeks to interpret the keystrokes in view of stored dictionarydata, linguistic rules, stored algorithms, and/or the like.

While such disambiguation systems have been generally effective fortheir intended purposes, such disambiguation systems are not withoutlimitation. In certain applications, the function of a disambiguationroutine can be cumbersome if a user must expend substantial effort inentering language. One such situation in which this may occur is in thecontext of a word that may not already be in the stored dictionary.Another exemplary situation in which this may occur is when a word isalready be stored in the dictionary but is considered to have arelatively low frequency, and this may require significant input effortby the user to achieve the desired word. Also, a desired word may notalready be stored in the dictionary of the device. It thus would bedesirable to provide a handheld electronic device having a reducedkeyboard wherein the device might make available to a user words and thelike that the user might reasonably be expected to enter. Such words andthe like might, for example, be somewhat unconventional.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an improved handheld electronic device havinga reduced keyboard provides facilitated language entry by makingavailable to a user certain words that a user may reasonably be expectedto enter. In some situations, certain words can be stored, for example,in a temporary dictionary for use in particular situations. Forinstance, the names of the recipients of an electronic message might bestored in a temporary dictionary for rapid retrieval when entering asalutation in the message. As another example, a number of the words inan existing electronic message may be stored in a temporary dictionaryand made available to a user when replying to or forwarding the messagesince the existing message might include words that the user mightreasonably be expected to type in the reply message or the forwardedmessage.

Accordingly, an aspect of the invention is to provide an improvedhandheld electronic device that has a reduced keyboard and that providesfacilitated entry of language.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheldelectronic device having a reduced keyboard that can store certain datain one or more temporary dictionaries for retrieval in certain contexts.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheldelectronic device that has a reduced keyboard and that providesfacilitated entry of a salutation in an electronic message to arecipient of the message.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheldelectronic device that has a reduced keyboard and that facilitates theentry of words in an electronic message on the basis of the word havingpreviously appeared in another electronic message in the same messagethread.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved method ofenabling disambiguation of an entry on a handheld electronic devicehaving a reduced keyboard.

These and other aspects of the invention are provided by an improvedmethod of enabling disambiguation of an input into a handheld electronicdevice. The handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus, anoutput apparatus, and a memory having a plurality of objects storedtherein. The plurality of objects include a plurality of languageobjects and a plurality of frequency objects, with each of at least aportion of the language objects of the plurality of language objectsbeing associated with an associated frequency object of the plurality offrequency objects. The handheld electronic device has a number ofmessages available thereon, with each message of at least a portion ofthe number of messages including a number of language objects. The inputapparatus includes a plurality of input members, with each of at least aportion of the input members of the plurality of input members having aplurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto. The general nature ofthe method can be stated as including detecting at least one of areplying input and a forwarding input with respect to a message of thenumber of messages, detecting an ambiguous input including a number ofinput member actuations of a number of the input members of theplurality of input members, with each of at least a portion of the inputmembers of the number of input members including a number of linguisticelements assigned thereto, and with at least one of the input members ofthe number of input members having a plurality of linguistic elementsassigned thereto, determining that a first portion of the memory isassociated with the message, with the first portion of the memoryincluding at least a portion of the language objects of the number oflanguage objects of the message, identifying in the first portion of thememory a first language object that corresponds with the ambiguousinput, and outputting at least a portion of the first language object asa first proposed disambiguation of the ambiguous input.

Other aspects of the invention are provided by an improved method ofenabling disambiguation of an input into a handheld electronic device.The handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus, an outputapparatus, and a memory having a plurality of objects stored therein.The plurality of objects include a plurality of language objects and aplurality of frequency objects. The handheld electronic device has anumber of messages available thereon, with each message of at least aportion of the number of messages including a number of languageobjects. Each of at least a portion of the language objects of theplurality of language objects is associated with an associated frequencyobject of the plurality of frequency objects. The input apparatusincludes a plurality of input members, with each of at least a portionof the input members of the plurality of input members having aplurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto. The general nature ofthe method can be stated as including detecting at least one of areplying input and a forwarding input with respect to a message of thenumber of messages, storing in a first portion of the memory at least aportion of the language objects of the number of language objects of themessage, detecting an ambiguous input including a number of input memberactuations of a number of the input members of the plurality of inputmembers, with each of at least a portion of the input members of thenumber of input members including a number of linguistic elementsassigned thereto, and with at least one of the input members of thenumber of input members having a plurality of linguistic elementsassigned thereto, identifying in the first portion of the memory alanguage object that corresponds with the ambiguous input, andoutputting at least a portion of the language object as a first proposeddisambiguation of the ambiguous input.

Other aspects of the invention are provided by an improved handheldelectronic device, the general nature of which can be stated asincluding a processor apparatus, an input apparatus, and an outputapparatus. The processor apparatus includes a memory having a pluralityof objects stored therein, with the plurality of objects including aplurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects. Eachof at least a portion of the language objects of the plurality oflanguage objects is associated with an associated frequency object ofthe plurality of frequency objects. The input apparatus includes aplurality of input members, with each of at least a portion of the inputmembers of the plurality of input members having a plurality oflinguistic elements assigned thereto. The handheld electronic device hasa number of messages available thereon, with each message of at least aportion of the number of messages including a number of languageobjects. The processor apparatus is adapted to detect at least one of areplying input and a forwarding input with respect to a message of thenumber of messages The processor apparatus is adapted to detect anambiguous input including a number of input member actuations of anumber of the input members of the plurality of input members, with eachof at least a portion of the input members of the number of inputmembers including a number of linguistic elements assigned thereto, andwith at least one of the input members of the number of input membershaving a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto. Theprocessor apparatus is adapted to make a determination that a firstportion of the memory is associated with the message, with the firstportion of the memory including at least a portion of the languageobjects of the number of language objects of the message. The processorapparatus is adapted to identify in the first portion of the memory afirst language object that corresponds with the ambiguous input. Theprocessor apparatus is adapted to output to the output apparatus anoutput including at least a portion of the first language object as afirst proposed disambiguation of the ambiguous input.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the followingDescription of the Preferred Embodiments when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an improved handheld electronicdevice in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the handheld electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a portion of a processor apparatus of thehandheld electronic device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a first exemplary output on the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1 in accordance with an aspect of a method of the invention;

FIG. 5 is another exemplary output on the handheld electronic device inaccordance with an aspect of a method of the invention;

FIG. 6 is another exemplary output on the handheld electronic device inaccordance with an aspect of a method of the invention; and

FIGS. 7A and 7B is an exemplary flowchart depicting at least a portionof the method of the invention.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An improved handheld electronic device 4 in accordance with theinvention is indicated generally in FIGS. 1 and 2. The handheldelectronic device 4 includes a case 8, an input apparatus 12, an outputapparatus 16, and a processor apparatus 20. The present exemplaryembodiment of the handheld electronic device 4 includes applicationsand/or routines resident thereon such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, a disambiguation routine and an e-mail client, althoughother and/or additional applications and/or routines can be providedwithout departing from the concept of the invention.

The input apparatus includes a keypad 24 that includes a plurality ofkeys 28. The input apparatus 12 additionally includes a track wheel 32for additional input. Many of the keys 28 have one or more letters 30assigned thereto, and a some of the keys 28 have a plurality of letters30 assigned thereto. In the present exemplary embodiment, the exemplaryletters 30 are Roman letters, and the exemplary Roman letters serve aslinguistic elements for language entry into the handheld electronicdevice 4. It is understood that while the linguistic elements of theinstant exemplary embodiment are depicted as being characters,specifically Roman letters, the linguistic elements could be otherelements such as, for example and without limitation, other types ofcharacters, ideograms, portions of ideograms such as strokes, and otherelements that can be used in the generation of language. The expressions“text” and “word”, and variations thereof, are to be broadly construedherein and are not intended to be limiting in any fashion with regard toa particular language, a particular portion of a language or a means ofproviding an expression in a language, or to a particular language typeor format.

The output apparatus 16 in the present exemplary embodiment includes adisplay 36. The output apparatus 16 may additionally include otheroutput devices such as lights, speakers, and other output deviceswithout limitation.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the processor apparatus 20 includes aprocessor which may be, for instance and without limitation, amicroprocessor (μP) 40 and which is responsive to inputs from the inputapparatus 12 and provides output signals to the output apparatus 16. Theprocessor apparatus 20 additionally includes a memory 44 with which themicroprocessor 40 interfaces. The memory 44 can be any of a variety ofstorage devices such as, for example and without limitation, RAM, ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, and/or other devices.

The memory 44 includes a generic word list 48 that has a plurality oflanguage objects and frequency objects stored therein. The languageobjects are, in the instant example, representative of words. Thelanguage objects and the frequency objects are associated. A givenfrequency object is representative of a frequency value that reflects,for instance, the relative likelihood that a language object with whichthe frequency object is associated is what is intended by a user whenthe user makes an input via the keypad 24. The memory 44 includes otherobjects stored and organized therein, as will be described in greaterdetail below.

The processor apparatus 20 has resident thereon a disambiguation routinethat interfaces with the memory 44 and the objects stored therein toprovide output in response to input via the input apparatus 12. Inaccordance with the invention, and in certain situations, certain wordsand the like may be stored in one or more temporary dictionaries in thememory 44 and made available to the user, such as when the user mightreasonably be expected to wish to input such words. The words in such atemporary dictionary may be accorded a relatively high frequency valuein order that such words, if appropriate, will be presented in whole orin part to the user at an early opportunity during the text entryprocess to limit the editing effort and other input that might otherwisebe required to enter such words.

Although many uses for the invention will be apparent, one exemplary useof the invention is presented herein as being in the context ofelectronic mail. As can be seen in FIG. 4, for example, a number ofexisting messages 52 are available on the handheld electronic device 4.That is, the messages 52 may either be stored directly on the handheldelectronic device 4 or may be downloadable on demand, for example. Theexemplary messages 52 in FIG. 4 each include, for instance, a sender 56and a subject 60 for reference by the user.

In a situation where, for example, a user enters a replying orforwarding command with respect to one of the messages 52, the user canreasonably be expected to wish to enter certain language. Such expectedlanguage might include, for example, a salutation to one of therecipients and/or, by way of additional example, a reference tosomething that has already been referred to in a prior message in thesame message thread. In some circumstances, some of the language that auser can reasonably be expected to wish to enter can be ascertainedprior to entry of such language by the user. In accordance with anaspect of the invention, therefore, certain language is advantageouslystored in one or more temporary dictionaries in the memory 44 for readyuse by user in entering language.

Such an example is presented in FIGS. 4-6. If a replying or forwardingcommand, for example, is entered with respect to one of the messages 52,the e-mail client application resident on the handheld electronic device4 will generate a new message 64 that employs certain data available inthe original message 52. For example, the new message 64 may include anumber of recipients 68 and a subject 100. The recipients 68 in thepresent example include a first recipient 72, a second recipient 76, anda copied recipient 80. In the present example the user has entered areplying input with respect to the indicated message 52, and accordinglythe sender 56 of the original message 52 becomes the first recipient 72of the new message 64. The second recipient 76, may, for example andwithout limitation, have been another recipient of the message 52, andthe copied recipient 80 may, for example, and without limitation, havebeen a copied recipient of the original message 52. It is also notedthat the subject 100 is the same as the subject 60, and that the newmessage 64 and the original message 52 are in a common e-mail thread.

It is noted that in generating the exemplary new message 64, the e-mailclient application fills in the names of the recipients 68 and thesubject 100. The e-mail client application or other application orroutine may advantageously also create a first temporary dictionary 84(FIG. 3) in the memory 44 and may store the names of the recipients 68therein. For example, the names of the recipients 68 may be stored aslanguage objects in the first temporary dictionary 84. The firsttemporary dictionary 84 may additionally include frequency objectsstored therein that provide frequency values for association with thestored language objects. Alternatively, the language objects in thefirst temporary dictionary 84 may be associated in some other fashionwith a frequency value that is relatively high. In this regard, and aswill be set forth in greater detail below, the exemplary disambiguationroutine employed on the handheld electronic device 4 identifies languageobjects in the memory 44 and presents the language objects, in whole orin part, to the user in response to an ambiguous input for the purposeof providing proposed disambiguated interpretations of the ambiguousinput. The output oftentimes may include a plurality of languageobjects, in whole or in part, listed in some fashion in a descendingorder of frequency value and/or in accordance with other criteria. Byassociating with the language objects stored in the first temporarydictionary 84 frequency objects of a relatively high frequency value,the language objects identified in the first temporary dictionary 84during operation of the disambiguation routine may be output at aposition of relatively high probability, i.e., frequency, in order tomake such language objects readily available to the user. Such readyaccess to such language objects by the user facilitates entry andreduces the amount of input effort that may otherwise be required of theuser.

The exemplary new message 64 is depicted in FIG. 5 as including therecipients 68, the subject 100, and some text in a language input field96 of the new message 64. In FIG. 5, the exemplary text is being inputon a first line 104, i.e., an initial line, in the language input field96 and is in the form of a salutation 108. The exemplary salutation 108includes a salutatory expression 112. The salutatory expression 112 inthe present example is the word “Dear”, which is recognizable as being asalutatory expression 112 from among a number of known salutatoryexpressions 112 such as, for example and without limitation, “Hi”,“Hello”, “Hey”, and others. As employed herein, a “salutatoryexpression” and variations thereof shall refer broadly to any linguisticor other type of expression which indicates a greeting or otherannunciation directed toward a recipient of a communication. Thehandheld electronic device 4 may have a number of salutatory expressions112 stored therein in order to enable the recognition of a given inputas being a part of a salutation 108 by virtue of it including a knownsalutatory expression 112.

Adjacent the exemplary salutatory expression 112 is a text inputlocation 128 indicated by a cursor 136. In the vicinity of the cursor136 is an exemplary first name 140. FIG. 5 represents an exemplaryoutput on the display 36 after the user has entered a replying inputwith regard to one of the original messages 52, as mentioned above, andhas additionally provided an ambiguous input by actuating the key 28having assigned thereto the letters 30 “Z” and “X”. The disambiguationroutine has recognized that the aforementioned ambiguous input wasintended to be part of the salutation 108 since the current text inputlocation 128 is disposed adjacent the salutatory expression 112 that hadbeen identified as such by the disambiguation routine. Thedisambiguation routine may be configured to additionally recognize anyinput on the first line 104 of the language input field 96 as being asalutation 108 regardless of additionally being adjacent a salutatoryexpression 112. This may be useful in a situation where the salutationdoes not include a salutatory expression, and rather includes only therecipient's name. This may also be useful when a plurality of names arebeing entered as a part of the salutation, whereby not all of the nameswill be disposed directly beside a single initial salutatory expression.

In seeking to interpret the aforementioned ambiguous input, which couldbe intended to be the initial letter of a word starting with “Z” or aword starting with “X”, the disambiguation routine sought to identify inthe first temporary dictionary 84 a language object stored therein thatcorresponds with either “Z” or “X”, and resultingly identified the firstname 140 of “ZIGLEVEIT” since the names of the recipients 68 have beenstored in the first temporary dictionary 84. Associated with such firstname 140 would be a relatively high frequency value. The output of FIG.5 indicates that the disambiguation routine has additionally identifiedin the generic word list 48 one or more language objects beginning withthe letter “Z” and one or more language objects beginning with theletter “X”. Such language objects would have associated therewithfrequency objects having frequency values that are relatively lower thanthe frequency value associated with the first name 140.

In providing the output of FIG. 5 on the display 36, the disambiguationroutine may have compared the frequency values associated with thoselanguage objects identified in the first temporary dictionary 84 and inthe generic word list 48 as corresponding with the aforementionedambiguous input, and may have determined that the first name 140 wasassociated with the highest frequency value. This may have been becauseall of the language objects in the first temporary dictionary 84 willhave associated therewith relatively high frequency values.

The output in the present exemplary embodiment depicted FIG. 5 includesa text component 116 and a variant component 120. The text component 116is output at the text input location 128. The variant component 120 is,in the exemplary embodiment of the depicted handheld electronic device4, output at a lower region of the display 36. The contents of theoutput include a default output 124 and a number of variants 132. Thedefault output 124 is depicted as being output as both the textcomponent 116 at the text input location 128 and as the leftmost variant132 in the variant component 120. In addition to the variant component120 including the default output 124, the variant component 120 outputsa number of variants 132 adjacent the default output 124 to providealternate proposed outputs.

In the present example, the user, in actuating the key 28 to which theletters 30 “Z” and “X” are assigned, likely intended to enter the name“ZIGLEVEIT” as part of the salutation 108 since the first recipient 72is “ZIGLEVEIT JONES”. The first name 140 “ZIGLEVEIT” is unlikely topreviously have been stored in the generic word list 48 or otherwise inthe memory 44. By storing the first name 140 “ZIGLEVEIT” in the firsttemporary dictionary 84, the effort that otherwise would have beenrequired of the user in entering the exemplary first name 140“ZIGLEVEIT” is reduced. That is, in the absence of the first temporarydictionary 84 the disambiguation routine might have offered numerousvariants to the user in attempting to predict the intent of the user inproviding the aforementioned input, and such variants may have requirednumerous selection and/or movement inputs by the user in ultimatelyentering the name “ZIGLEVEIT”. By making available as a high frequencyvariant the first name “ZIGLEVEIT”, the additional effort that otherwisemight have been required of the user in entering the first name 140 ofthe salutation 108 is reduced.

In certain disambiguation systems, the proposed output responsive to aninput may be only the same length as the input. That is, in certaindisambiguation routines the proposed output in response to a singlekeystroke might be a number of variants 132 that are only a singlecharacter, i.e., letter 30, in length. In the present exemplaryembodiment of the disambiguation routine, however, the proposed outputin response to the single keystroke of the key 28 to which the letters30 “Z” and “X” are assigned was the entire first name 140 “ZIGLEVEIT”.The disambiguation routine thus provided a disambiguation in the natureof a predicted entire word in response to an ambiguous input consistingof a single keystroke. This is particularly advantageous because itavoids the need of the user to actuate all of the keys 28 that mightotherwise be required to spell the first name 140 “ZIGLEVEIT”. Inaccordance with an aspect of the invention, therefore, thedisambiguation routine determined that the current input was a part ofthe salutation 108, i.e., by determining that the text input location128 was adjacent the salutatory expression 112 from among a number ofpredetermined salutatory expressions 112 and/or by being disposed at thefirst line 104 of the language input field 96. Since the salutationlikely will be limited to the names of the recipients 68, the predictionof the entire first name 140 from the aforementioned single keystrokesaves time and effort on the part of the user. In other embodiments,however, the output need not include an entire predicted name, andrather may be a letter-for-keystroke output.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the disambiguationroutine may additionally provide a second name 144 as a variant 132 incombination with the first name 140, thus “ZIGLEVEIT & WILLIAM”. Thefirst name 140 and the second name 144 correspond with the firstrecipient 72 and the second recipient 76, respectively. As such, inaddition to providing as the default output 124 the entire first name140, “ZIGLEVEIT”, the disambiguation routine additionally can provide asa first variant 132 the combined first and second names 140 and 144 of“ZIGLEVEIT & WILLIAM”. This saves additional time to the user if it isdesired to provide the salutation 108 as addressing both the first andsecond recipients 72 and 76.

Depending upon the data stored in the memory 44, the variant component120 of the output might additionally include, for example, a firstfriendly name 148 of “Ziggy” and/or a second friendly name 152 “Bill”,with the first and second friendly names 148 and 152 corresponding withthe first and second names 140 and 144, respectively. Such a friendlyvariant 132 would provide an additional alternative in entering thesalutation 108. The disambiguation routine has provided as additionalvariants 132 the variant 132 “Z” and the variant “X” as lower priorityvariants 132, and these may be provided for use in the event that theuser has desired to enter a word beginning with either “Z” or “X”without intending to enter the first name 140. In the present example,the first name 140 is provided as the default output 124 since thesingle keystroke by the user is most likely to have been intended asbeginning the input of the first name 140, which would be a likely entryas a part of the salutation 108.

A further aspect of the invention is depicted generally in FIG. 6. InFIG. 6 the user has accepted the first name 140 “ZIGLEVEIT” and hascontinued to enter additional text in the language input field 96. Inaccordance with the invention, the disambiguation routine or otherroutine has caused certain language objects to be stored in the memory44 and to be made available to the user at a relatively high priority tofacilitate entry of the text.

More specifically, many of the words in the original message 52 havebeen stored as language objects in a second temporary dictionary 92 inthe memory 44. Such second temporary dictionary 92 may have beengenerated, for example, upon detection of the aforementioned replyinginput or a forwarding input with respect to the original message 52.Alternatively, if prior messages 52 in the same message thread as theoriginal message 52 and the new message 64 of FIG. 6 had been replied toand/or forwarded by the user, for instance, the second temporarydictionary 92 associated with that message thread may have beengenerated at the time of such replying to and/or forwarding. Othervariations will be apparent.

In one embodiment of the invention, the memory 44 may include aplurality of second temporary dictionaries 92, each being associatedwith a corresponding message 52 and/or message thread. Thedisambiguation routine could identify such second temporary dictionaries92 through the use of a lookup table 88 that might include, forinstance, a table of first entries that are associated with messages 52and/or message threads, and corresponding second entries having pointersto locations in the memory 44 where the appropriate second temporarydictionary 92 is located. In another embodiment, the memory 44 mayinclude only a single second temporary dictionary 92 that is createdupon replying to or forwarding message 52, with the stored languageobjects thereof being replaced with other language objects contained inanother message 52 upon replying to or forwarding of the another message52.

In the present exemplary embodiment of the handheld electronic device 4,upon detecting a replying or forwarding input with respect to one of themessages 52, the disambiguation routine determines from the lookup table88 whether or not a second temporary dictionary 92 has already beengenerated for the particular message 52 and/or the related messagethread, if any. In this regard, the first entries in the lookup table 88with which the messages 52 are associated may, for example, include thesubject 60 of the message 52 or may be in the form of a hash of thesubject 60 of the message 52. A message thread including the message 52could thus be identified so long as the subject 60 has not been changed.Other methods of identifying a given message 52 and/or message threadwill be apparent.

If no corresponding second temporary dictionary 92 has yet been createdfor the given message 52, the disambiguation routine or other routinecould generate the second temporary dictionary 92 by storing at aparticular location in the memory 44 language objects corresponding withsome or all of the words in the message 52. Such language objects couldbe associated with a relatively high frequency value, either by havingcorresponding frequency objects stored in the memory 44, by assigning toall language objects in the second temporary dictionary 92 a relativelyhigh frequency value, or in other apparent fashions. Once acorresponding second temporary dictionary 92 has already been createdfor the message 52 and/or for the corresponding message thread, therespective second temporary dictionary 92 can be interrogated by thedisambiguation routine in seeking to identify language objects storedtherein that correspond with an ambiguous input into the handheldelectronic device 4.

That is, a user may enter an ambiguous input in the form of a number ofkeystrokes of the keys 28. If any of the keys 28 has a plurality ofletters 30 or other linguistic elements assigned thereto, the input willbe ambiguous. With each successive keystroke, the disambiguation routinemay interrogate the generic word list 48 for corresponding languageobjects and associated frequency objects, and will also seek to identifylanguage objects stored in the corresponding second temporary dictionary92, along with seeking associated frequency values for such languageobjects in the second temporary dictionary 92. The disambiguationroutine potentially may also interrogate the first temporary dictionary84 in seeking to identify additional language objects that correspondwith the ambiguous input. The corresponding identified language objectsfrom the generic word list 48 and the second temporary dictionary 92(and first temporary dictionary 84, if appropriate) are then output inorder of frequency value.

An example of the benefits provided by the second temporary dictionaries92 is indicated generally in FIG. 6. It can be seen that the originalmessage 52 included, among other words, the word “soirée”. The word“soirée” may be stored in the generic word list 48 as a language object,and such language object may be associated with a relatively lowfrequency value, or it may not be present at all in the generic wordlist 48. By storing in the second temporary dictionary 92 a languageobject corresponding with the word “soirée” and associating it with arelatively high frequency value, the language object corresponding with“soirée” can be readily provided to the user in entering the text of thenew message 64.

In the example depicted in FIG. 6, the user has begun typing the word“soirée” by entering an ambiguous input consisting of three keystrokesof keys 28. Specifically, the user has actuated the keys 28 “A S”, “OP”, and “U I”. Other exemplary words in the generic word list 48 such as“SPIN” and “APIECE” also correspond with the aforementionedthree-keystroke ambiguous input. In the generic word list 48, the words“SPIN” and “APIECE” are likely to be associated with higher frequencyvalues than any language object stored in the generic word list 48corresponding with the word “soirée”. However, since the secondtemporary dictionary 92 associated with the new message 64 includes alanguage object corresponding with the word “soirée”, with such languageobject having associated therewith a relatively high frequency value,the default output 160 “SOI” corresponds with the word “soirée”, whichis the word desired by the user. The output also includes a firstvariant output 164 “SPI” and a second variant output 168 “API” whichmight correspond with the otherwise relatively higher frequency words“SPIN” and “APIECE”, respectively. As such, providing the secondtemporary dictionary 92 reduces the number of keystrokes and/or thenumber of editing inputs and/or the amount of attention required of auser in entering the text in the new message 64, which is advantageous.

An exemplary flowchart in FIGS. 7A and 7B depicts in general terms themethod of the invention. The method of the invention can be said tobegin with a detection of one of a replying input and a forwardinginput, as at 204, with respect to a first message, such as one of themessages 52. Responsive to such detection, a second message is created,as at 208, such as the new message 64. In this regard, it is noted thatthe advantages of the first temporary dictionary 84 and its help increating a salutation 108 can be provided with the generation of anymessage, i.e., even one that did not result from a replying orforwarding input with respect to an existing message, once therecipients 68 are added to the message, depending upon the configurationof the handheld electronic device 4.

Regardless of whether the additional message was created as a result ofdetecting a replying or forwarding input to an existing message, or ifan original message was created, the disambiguation routine or otherroutine stores, as at 212, the names of the recipients as found in, forexample, a “TO:” field or a “CC:” field in the message in a firsttemporary dictionary 84. The disambiguation routine or other routine maydetermine, as at 216, whether a second temporary dictionary 92 hasalready been created for the message or message thread. Such adetermination can be made by consulting the lookup table 88. If a secondtemporary dictionary 92 has already been created for the message thread,its location in the memory 44 is determined as at 220. If, however, nocorresponding second temporary dictionary 92 has yet been created, sucha second temporary dictionary 92 is created, as at 224. Upon creatingsuch second temporary dictionary 92, the lookup table 88 is updated, asat 228, with entries that correspond with, for example, the location inthe memory 44 of the second temporary dictionary 92 and a correspondingsubject of the e-mail thread or a hash thereof, for instance. Such anupdating operation can be provided with different types of entries inthe lookup table 88 without departing from the concept of the invention.

The processor apparatus 20 may detect, as at 232, a text input that maybe ambiguous. The disambiguation routine may then determine, as at 236,whether or not the input is a portion of a salutation 108. Such adetermination can be made, as mentioned above, by determining theproximity of the text input location 128 to a salutatory expression 112,the presence of the text input location 128 on a first line 104 of thelanguage input field 96, or in other fashions that will be apparent. Ifit is determined at 236 that the current input is a portion of asalutation 108, the disambiguation routine then determines, as at 240,whether the first temporary dictionary 84 includes a language objectstored therein that corresponds with the input. If such a languageobject is identified, the disambiguation routine may retrieve, as at244, the entry and a corresponding frequency value. The disambiguationroutine may also consult the generic word list 48, as mentioned above,to identify other language objects and corresponding frequency values,as at 248. The identified language objects from the first temporarydictionary 84 and the generic word list 48 may then be output, as at 252in order of decreasing frequency value. It is noted that the names 140,144, and the like are anticipated to be associated with relativelyhigher frequency values than any language objects stored in and obtainedfrom the generic word list 48 and thus are expected to be output as thedefault output 124. Processing then returns to 232.

If at 236 it is determined that the input is not a part of a salutation108, processing may continues at 256 where it is determined whether thesecond temporary dictionary 92 that corresponds with the new message 64has stored therein any language object that corresponds with the input.If yes, such corresponding language object or objects are obtained, asat 260, from the second temporary dictionary 92, along with anyassociated frequency value, which likely would be relatively high.

Regardless of whether any such language objects were identified insecond temporary dictionary 92, the disambiguation routine obtains fromthe generic word list 48, as at 248, any language objects thatcorrespond with the input, along with associated frequency values. Thedisambiguation routine then outputs, as at 252, at least a portion ofthe identified language objects, whether from the second temporarydictionary 92 or from the generic word list 48, in order of decreasingfrequency value. Processing thereafter continues at 232.

The improved handheld electronic device 4 and associated method inaccordance with the invention provide facilitated input in appropriatesituations including, for example and without limitation, in thesituation of a salutation or in entering text when replying to orforwarding an e-mail message. This advantageously reduces the time,effort, and attention required of a user in using the handheldelectronic device 4.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described indetail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alternatives to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, theparticular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only andnot limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given thefull breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.

1. A method of enabling disambiguation of an input into a handheldelectronic device, the handheld electronic device including an inputapparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having a plurality ofobjects stored therein, the plurality of objects including a pluralityof language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, each of atleast a portion of the language objects of the plurality of languageobjects being associated with an associated frequency object of theplurality of frequency objects, the handheld electronic device having anumber of messages available thereon, each message of at least a portionof the number of messages including a number of language objects, theinput apparatus including a plurality of input members, each of at leasta portion of the input members of the plurality of input members havinga plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, the methodcomprising: detecting at least one of a replying input and a forwardinginput with respect to a message of the number of messages; detecting anambiguous input including a number of input member actuations of anumber of the input members of the plurality of input members, each ofat least a portion of the input members of the number of input membersincluding a number of linguistic elements assigned thereto, at least oneof the input members of the number of input members having a pluralityof linguistic elements assigned thereto; determining that a firstportion of the memory is associated with the message, the first portionof the memory including at least a portion of the language objects ofthe number of language objects of the message; identifying in the firstportion of the memory a first language object that corresponds with theambiguous input; and outputting at least a portion of the first languageobject as a first proposed disambiguation of the ambiguous input.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a first frequencyobject that is associated with the first language object, the firstfrequency object having a first frequency value; identifying in a secondportion of the memory a second language object that corresponds with theambiguous input; obtaining a second frequency object that is associatedwith the second language object, the second frequency object having asecond frequency value; and determining that the first frequency valueis greater than the second frequency value.
 3. The method of claim 2,further comprising outputting at least a portion of the second languageobject as a second proposed disambiguation of the ambiguous input and ashaving associated therewith a lower frequency value than is associatedwith the first proposed disambiguation.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising making a comparison between at least a portion of themessage and a first entry in a lookup table in the memory, and employingthe first entry in said determining that a first portion of the memoryis associated with the message.
 5. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising identifying in the lookup table a second entry, the secondentry corresponding with the first entry, and employing the second entryto locate the first portion of the memory.
 6. The method of claim 4,further comprising employing as the at least a portion of the message atleast a portion of a subject of the message.
 7. The method of claim 4,further comprising employing as the at least a portion of the message ahash of at least a portion of a subject of the message.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: detecting at least one of a replying inputand a forwarding input with respect to another message of the number ofmessages, the another message and the message together being in amessage thread; detecting another ambiguous input including a number ofinput member actuations of a number of the input members of theplurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the inputmembers of the number of input members including a number of linguisticelements assigned thereto, at least one of the input members of thenumber of input members having a plurality of linguistic elementsassigned thereto; determining that the first portion of the memory isassociated with the another message, the first portion of the memoryincluding at least a portion of the language objects of the number oflanguage objects of the another message; identifying in the firstportion of the memory another language object that corresponds with theanother ambiguous input; and outputting at least a portion of theanother language object as a first proposed disambiguation of theanother ambiguous input.
 9. A method of enabling disambiguation of aninput into a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic deviceincluding an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having aplurality of objects stored therein, the plurality of objects includinga plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects,the handheld electronic device having a number of messages availablethereon, each message of at least a portion of the number of messagesincluding a number of language objects, each of at least a portion ofthe language objects of the plurality of language objects beingassociated with an associated frequency object of the plurality offrequency objects, the input apparatus including a plurality of inputmembers, each of at least a portion of the input members of theplurality of input members having a plurality of linguistic elementsassigned thereto, the method comprising: detecting at least one of areplying input and a forwarding input with respect to a message of thenumber of messages; storing in a first portion of the memory at least aportion of the language objects of the number of language objects of themessage; detecting an ambiguous input including a number of input memberactuations of a number of the input members of the plurality of inputmembers, each of at least a portion of the input members of the numberof input members including a number of linguistic elements assignedthereto, at least one of the input members of the number of inputmembers having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto;identifying in the first portion of the memory a language object thatcorresponds with the ambiguous input; and outputting at least a portionof the language object as a first proposed disambiguation of theambiguous input.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adding toa lookup table an entry that corresponds with a location identifier ofthe first portion of the memory.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising adding to the lookup table another entry that correspondswith at least a portion of the message, the entry and the another entrybeing associated.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingemploying as the at least a portion of the message at least a portion ofa subject of the message.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprisingadding as the another entry a hash of at least a portion of a subject ofthe message.
 14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: detecting atleast one of a replying input and a forwarding input with respect toanother message of the number of messages, the another message and themessage together being in a message thread; detecting another ambiguousinput including a number of input member actuations of a number of theinput members of the plurality of input members, each of at least aportion of the input members of the number of input members including anumber of linguistic elements assigned thereto, at least one of theinput members of the number of input members having a plurality oflinguistic elements assigned thereto; determining that the first portionof the memory is associated with the another message, the first portionof the memory including at least a portion of the language objects ofthe number of language objects of the another message; identifying inthe first portion of the memory another language object that correspondswith the another ambiguous input; and outputting at least a portion ofthe another language object as a first proposed disambiguation of theanother ambiguous input.
 15. The method of claim 9, further comprising,responsive to said detecting at least one of a replying input and aforwarding input, performing said storing in a first portion of thememory at least a portion of the language objects of the number oflanguage objects of the message.
 16. A handheld electronic devicecomprising: a processor apparatus including a memory having a pluralityof objects stored therein, the plurality of objects including aplurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, eachof at least a portion of the language objects of the plurality oflanguage objects being associated with an associated frequency object ofthe plurality of frequency objects; an input apparatus including aplurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the inputmembers of the plurality of input members having a plurality oflinguistic elements assigned thereto; an output apparatus; the handheldelectronic device having a number of messages available thereon, eachmessage of at least a portion of the number of messages including anumber of language objects; the processor apparatus being adapted todetect at least one of a replying input and a forwarding input withrespect to a message of the number of messages; the processor apparatusbeing adapted to detect an ambiguous input including a number of inputmember actuations of a number of the input members of the plurality ofinput members, each of at least a portion of the input members of thenumber of input members including a number of linguistic elementsassigned thereto, at least one of the input members of the number ofinput members having a plurality of linguistic elements assignedthereto; the processor apparatus being adapted to make a determinationthat a first portion of the memory is associated with the message, thefirst portion of the memory including at least a portion of the languageobjects of the number of language objects of the message; the processorapparatus being adapted to identify in the first portion of the memory afirst language object that corresponds with the ambiguous input; and theprocessor apparatus being adapted to output to the output apparatus anoutput including at least a portion of the first language object as afirst proposed disambiguation of the ambiguous input.
 17. The handheldelectronic device of claim 16 wherein the processor apparatus is adaptedto make a comparison between at least a portion of the message and afirst entry in a lookup table in the memory, and is further adapted toemploy the first entry in said determination that a first portion of thememory is associated with the message.
 18. The handheld electronicdevice of claim 17 wherein the processor apparatus is adapted toidentify in the lookup table a second entry, the second entrycorresponding with the first entry, and is further adapted to employ thesecond entry to locate the first portion of the memory.
 19. The handheldelectronic device of claim 17 wherein the processor apparatus is adaptedto employ as the at least a portion of the message at least a portion ofa subject of the message.
 20. The handheld electronic device of claim 16wherein the processor apparatus is adapted to: detect at least one of areplying input and a forwarding input with respect to another message ofthe number of messages, the another message and the message togetherbeing in a message thread; detect another ambiguous input including anumber of input member actuations of a number of the input members ofthe plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the inputmembers of the number of input members including a number of linguisticelements assigned thereto, at least one of the input members of thenumber of input members having a plurality of linguistic elementsassigned thereto; determine that the first portion of the memory isassociated with the another message, the first portion of the memoryincluding at least a portion of the language objects of the number oflanguage objects of the another message; identify in the first portionof the memory another language object that corresponds with the anotherambiguous input; and output to the output apparatus at least a portionof the another language object as a first proposed disambiguation of theanother ambiguous input.